Thirty years ago, amid the somber prayers of Judaismâ??s holiest day, Rabbi Kenneth Berger rose to deliver the Yom Kippur sermon. He spoke to his congregants about a tragedy many of them, including his daughter, had witnessed eight months earlier in the Florida sky: the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger.
Rabbi Berger focused on one particular detail, the revelation that Challengerâ??s seven astronauts had remained alive for the 65,000-foot fall to the ocean. He called the homily â??Five Minutes to Live,â? and he likened the crew members to Jews, who are called during the High Holy Days to engage in the process of â??heshbon ha-nefesh,â? Hebrew for taking stock of oneâ??s soul.
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